Talks to avoid Gananoque casino strike going ‘down to the wire’: union

The union for casino workers says talks will be going 'down to the wire' on Friday, July 22, 2022 with a possible strike early Saturday morning if a deal isn't reached. (CNW Group/Unifor via Newswatch Group)

GANANOQUE – The union representing Gananoque casino workers says talks will likely go “down to the wire” today (Friday).

Unifor and Great Canadian Gaming Corporation have been negotiating a new contract ahead of a strike deadline.

The union says “most secondary issues” have been settled.

“Unifor bargaining committees for eight casinos worked hard on Thursday to finalize many outstanding issues, paving the way for today’s heavy-lifting on monetary matters,” a union spokeswoman said in a statement. “The momentum is a positive sign but we’re not out of the woods. We anticipate talks will go down to the wire tonight.”

Workers could walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. Saturday if a deal isn’t reached.

Unifor Local 1090 represents 1,500 employees at six of those casinos, which includes Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands in Gananoque.